Masters students return from a week-long intensive in Perth

Nine Masters students (six part-time and three full-time), who chose the ‘Water, land and people’ specialisation stream, and IWC Education Assistant Shelley Okamoto have just returned from Perth (Western Australia) from a field trip which is part of the module 'Water and Agricultural Landscapes'.

This module is delivered primarily through an intensive 7-day session based at the Crawley Campus of the University of Western Australia (UWA), and is framed around the learning needs of each individual. Prior to travelling to Perth, each participant provided details about their background, education and professional experience, personal learning objectives from the module and the Master of Integrated Water Management (MIWM), career aspirations and a case study they would follow throughout the module to support their learning process.

The week was packed with a succession of lectures, workshops and field trips. Participants were following lectures presented by highly regarded academics and practitioners in the water and agricultural landscapes, including Prof Kadambot Siddique, Hackett Professor of Agriculture Chair and Director, Institute of Agriculture; John Ruprecht, Director of Irrigation at the Department of Agriculture and Food; A/Prof Ed Barrett-Lennard, Principal Research Fellow, School of Plant Biology; and Simon Skevington, Project Director of Western Australian Government’s multi-agency Water for Food Program at the Department of Water.

The week included two full-day field trips:

"To me the highlight of the trip was the interaction with farmers who are trying to best manage the water for agriculture in the water scarce region of Perth." - Pritha Bhattacharya

Peel-Harvey Catchment Field Trip (Day 3)

Participants visited the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Harvey Dam, Harvey Water and Wokalup Agricultural College. Throughout the day, they met with local stakeholders and businesses, taking the opportunity to discuss local water and agriculture issues and their connection to the broader issues of regional and urban water planning for Perth.

Gnangara Mound Field Trip (Day 5)

Travelling with staff from the Western Australian Department of Water and visiting farms in Perth’s peri-urban area, participants explored the complex water and land management challenges of the Gnangara mound, including climate change, population growth, increasing competition between agriculture, public and private water supply, and the maintenance of groundwater dependent ecosystems.

"Drawing on the real-world
experience and expertise of Jeff and Susana, the guest lecturers and
fellow classmates, I got a lot out of the week." - James Morschel

On the final day (Day 7), each participant gave a presentation on their learning journey throughout the week, highlighting how they intend to use these learnings in the module's final essay, the Masters and their future careers. Participants and the module coordinators, Profs Susana Neto and Jeff Camkin, also shared their reflections on what had truly been a very intensive, but highly enjoyable week.